Chef (thelemmy.club)
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[–] 12 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (22 children)

In the UK Margherita literally just means cheese on a pizza, regardless of the type of cheese from what I can tell. Obviously some places do the more fancy mozzarella blobs but most places it's just grated cheese (usually still mozzarella though)

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  • [–] 36 points 1 month ago (10 children)

    Seems like the UK has it wrong on the name, then. The margherita pizza I am familiar with has large slices of mozzarella, a chunky tomato sauce, and basil on top.

    Ordering a margherita pizza and getting a generic pizza made with shredded cheese and marinara sauce would be a major disappointment.

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  • [–] 13 points 1 month ago

    Ordering a margherita pizza and getting a generic pizza made with shredded cheese and marinara sauce would be a major disappointment.

    Andy: Okay. You guys ever had Margherita pizza?
    Stanley: What's that?
    Andy: Fresh tomato with a dollop of mozzarella cheese.
    Stanley: That's pizza.
    Pam: That's regular pizza.
    [pizza arrives, Andy looks in the box]
    Andy: Ah, their interpretation of Margarita pizza. Fans of classic pizza will be psyched.

    The Office (US) S8E1 "The List"

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago (8 children)

    The margherita pizza I am familiar with has large slices of mozzarella, a chunky tomato sauce, and basil on top.

    That's a margherita pizza in the US.

    Ordering a margherita pizza and getting a generic pizza made with shredded cheese and marinara sauce would be a major disappointment.

    Imagine my chagrin when, traveling in Europe, I ordered a margherita pizza and received a cheese pizza. I thought they got my order wrong. It took me like three tries on separate days before I found out that that's just what margherita means outside the US...

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  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

    I mean, I've had margherita pizzas outside of the US as well and they matched my expectations. At least in Asia and South America. So I guess it just leaves me puzzled as to how much of Europe (maybe just the non-NA Anglosphere) is getting it wrong when Italy is right there.

    I've also seen pizzas that I would describe as margherita pizza when visiting Scandinavia, but if you're in Sweden and you're having anything other than the banana curry pizza, you're doing yourself a disservice

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  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    leaves me puzzled as to how much of Europe is getting it wrong when Italy is right there.

    That's the part you're not getting. Europe isn't the one "getting it wrong." If you want to claim that only one way is correct, then the US is the incorrect way.

    A country's proximity to italy is irrelevant. There's literally an Italian in this thread who says margherita pizza in italy just means cheese pizza.

    It's like claiming Germany does bratwurst wrong because it doesn't taste like the ones you get from the supermarket in the US.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago

    Checking various lists from countries this is as far as I can tell EXCLUSIVELY a problem of western Europe.

    All three of the Americas, china, Russia, japan, Scandinavian, and basically everywhere else I can find. Use two different terms to separate a cheese and margarita pizza.

    So this is just a case of Europe is infact wrong. In fact Naples where the pizza style was invented uses the same terms as america.

    The USA copied Naples.

    The UK and much of western Europe. Like normal, is bastardizing what foods are called while the rest of the world just steals the terms from where it's invented.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    Americans easily gets confused when people are using different terms and words for things than Americans are.

    The point is that what you encountered wasn't wrong, it was just different from what you were used to.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago

    Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I related a personal experience about when I learned there was a difference, but that doesn't mean I thought it was wrong.

    Just a humorous way to laugh at myself while saying "the world is bigger than you think, and words can mean different things in different places."

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago

    Wouldn't it be the other way around. The comment that spawned this entire thing was literally about what Americans in america call it. And we use different words for the two things. So this is a case of Europeans being confused that Americans call two different ways to prepare a pizza by two different names.

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  • [–] 10 points 1 month ago (5 children)

    Italy here: Margherita is the basic pizza, tomato sauce and mozzarella.

    Basil is basically always included in the sauce of normal pizzas.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 month ago (4 children)

    Basil is basically always included in the sauce of normal pizzas.

    I wish that were the case in the US.

    But also, margherita pizza here usually has whole or chopped basil leaves added directly on top

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    It's such a cheap ingredient, it makes no sense to omit it

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    Probably cheap in Italy. In the US if you grow your own basil you don't really want to publicize that cause you'll be labeled as bougie

    And some people won't eat anything that seems too "foreign," like good bread and most spices and herbs.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    Weird. It's just a plant, takes plenty of sun and water and that's it. I've got two in pots, one even survived the winter, which they usually don't, although I had to fight Noctua caterpillars. (very silent caterpillars? no, not that Noctua)

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    In Australia it can sometimes mean with blobs of mozzarella but typically it's grated with fresh cubed/sliced tomato added.

    Most places also do a basic cheese only, some with a 3 or 4 cheese as a more expensive version.

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